Around America in 30 Days
by Storywriter8897
Summary: This fun fanfic features a month long road trip across the continental US with the Grimwood ghouls and the Calloway cadets. Full summary inside. I hope you enjoy reading it!
1. Chapter 1

I've gotten so incredibly into writing fanfiction in regards to 'Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School', my favorite film from the Scooby Doo universe, that I've written a small drabble based off of my other SD fanfic. This one features both the Grimwood ghouls and the Calloway cadets, along with my OC, Lauren Black, as the gang goes on a month long 'survival' road trip. This is a fanfic founded on fluff and funness (and apparently alliteration), so I hope you lot enjoy reading this as much as I did writing it. The only real difference is that in this story, the cadets are fully aware of the ghoul's powers and the fact that they are actual, full fledged monsters.

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 **Chapter 1: Road Trip**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC.

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Tug jumped onto the wall separating his school from the ghoul's, dangling his legs off the edge, and whistling tunelessly. He leaned back, crossing his arms under his head. With a sudden shift in the wind, Lauren was leaning over him, having teleported to this exact location. Tug smiled up at her and tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "Hey, on a scale of one to America, how free are you and the rest of the ghouls for the next month?"

"North Korea, present time." Lauren replied with a small smirk before asking him "It depends. What would we be doing for an entire month?"

Tug sat up and swung his body around to better look at her. "The Colonel has ordered us to go on a month long road trip to test our survival skills and endurance without outside help."

"Do the ghouls and I not count as 'outside help', then?" Lauren asked innocently, tilting her head to the side.

At that, Tug smirked before replying "What the Colonel doesn't know won't hurt him. I don't see why you six couldn't come along. Besides, since when do you care about what the Colonel says we can or can't do?"

Lauren refused to have the decency to look ashamed as she replied "You know I don't put any stock into a single word that comes out of that man's mouth. Anyways, you've captivated my attention with this road trip. Give me details."

"Well, like I said earlier, it'll be a month long trip in a giant, luxury motor coach. We'll travel the country, exploring the sights, and if we can make it back in decent health with the bus still in tact by the end of the month, we pass the test." Tug explained.

"And if you fail?" Lauren questioned curiously.

Shrugging, Tug replied "We'll probably have to run a million suicides or something."

After a moment of pondering his proposition, Lauren said "I'll talk to the ghouls and if they're in, and we get Miss Grimwood's approval, then we'll come. When do we leave?"

"By the end of the week. So I hope that's enough time to convince them because I don't want to be stuck on a bus with just the guys without seeing you for a whole month." Tug informed her.

"Even if the ghouls don't want to go, I will so that I can make sure you guys get enough food to eat." Lauren told him earnestly.

"And here I was thinking you just wanted to spend time with me." Tug replied, feigning sadness.

Lauren nudged him playfully in the ribs before saying "Of course I do. But I'm also looking forward to spoiling you, as well as the others, but you especially."

"A month spent without the Colonel, and you being by my side, is spoiled enough." Tug replied, earning him a smoldering look. "What? Can't I just enjoy my girlfriend's company?"

Lauren's glare faded as she pecked him on the lips. "Of course you can, love. I just need to go make it official and see if I, and the rest of the ghouls, can actually come with. I'll be back before you have time to miss me." And with that, Lauren pecked Tug once more before teleporting back to her school.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Approval**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC.

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"So what do you think, Miss Grimwood? Can we go?" Lauren asked hopefully, unconsciously biting her bottom lip.

Miss Grimwood pondered her question before saying "I don't see why not. It would be an excellent bonding opportunity for both schools, as well as a prime educational opportunity. I say whoever wants to go, can."

Lauren beamed happily before turning to see the reactions of the other ghouls, all of whom looked extremely happy with the prospect of going on the road trip. Within the next few minutes they had all went their separate ways to pack while Lauren teleported over to the cadet's school to tell Tug the good news. Deciding to skip the formalities of knocking and being given permission to enter, she simply teleported outside their bedroom window. She lightly rapped on it before climbing inside.

"Lauren!" the cadets all cheered.

"Hey, guys." she greeted, her eyes roaming the room in search of Tug. She spotted him biting the tip off a protein bar. Upon seeing Lauren, his eyes perked up and he made his way over to her. "Miss Grimwood said we could go so the ghouls and I will be joining you lot on your road trip." She informed him.

Tug picked her up and spun her around excitedly. "That's great! The two of us on the open road, alone, for a whole month." His voice lowered towards the end, his gaze lowering as he brought her face closer to his own.

"Get a room you two." Roger coughed, interrupting the mood.

"Just wait until we're on the road. We'll definitely get our own room then." Lauren promised him.

"Oh, scary," Roger muttered under his breath, going back to his comic book.

"You bet I am." Lauren told him with a small smirk, wiggling her fingers at him as black sparks spewed from her fingertips. She turned back to Tug and said "I should probably go pack a bag or two, but afterwards I'm all yours." Tug smiled eagerly as he pecked her on the lips. Lauren smiled as she returned the kiss. Once Tug was struggling for breath she slowly slipped out of his grasp before teleporting back to her school, eager for the trip to come.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Departure**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

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The day of departure had arrived. Excited, she pulled on the first clothes she touched, which consisted of a black shirt that said 'Bows Before Bros', a pair of red and gray athletic shorts, and red Jack Rogers. Lauren grabbed her luggage before teleporting to the foyer where she met up with the other ghouls for breakfast. There was a mad dash for bowls of Scarios cereal and marsh muffins.

"I am so excited!" Tanis cried, covering her cereal in soured milk.

"I know! This is our first major trip away from school. Sure it's with the cadets, but they're not so bad." Winnie granted, snatching the pitcher of milk from Tanis.

"Manners, Winnie. We're their guests after all." Sibella reminded her, plucking the pitcher of milk from the werewolf's claws.

"Guys, we all need to get along now if we want to do so in a confined bus for an entire month." Elsa gently chastised them, peeling the wrapper off of a muffin as she did so.

"Yeah guys, you don't want to lose your heads." Phanty added, weaving in and out of the walls as she made her way towards the table, late per usual.

Lauren sighed and shook her head affectionately. She adored the ghouls to pieces but she was already having doubts about putting them in the same bus as the cadets for an entire month. Deciding that they would cross that bridge when they came to it, Lauren helped herself to a muffin as they awaited the arrival of the bus.

It wasn't long before the cadets pulled up in front of the school. The ghouls finished their breakfast before waving goodbye to Miss Grimwood and Matches, crossing the moat bridge, and clambering inside the so called 'luxury motor coach' Tug had been talking about. The bus was larger than life; it was humongous. There was a ping pong table, a foosball table, a large flat screen tv, a hot tub, six bunk beds, several couches and recliners, a mini kitchenette that was loaded with food, a bathroom, and a large storage compartment for their belongings.

"Make yourselves comfortable." Roger said as he dropped himself into the recliner and leaned all the way back.

Jamal sat down on another chair, pulled out a comic book, and began to read. Grunt went to the kitchen and began fixing himself a snack. Baxter and Miguel began to play a game of foosball.

Lauren and Sibella exchanged a look as Tug came over and greeted them. Wrapping an arm around Lauren's waist he said "Welcome, ladies. I'm glad you guys decided to make it. Today we're going to be driving to the French Quarter since we're already in Louisiana, followed by the USS _Alabama_ in Alabama. Our goal is to get through two states a day in order to be back by the end of the month. The Colonel managed to issue me a driver's license and Jamal is going to act as navigator so you girls can make yourselves at home. It'll be a few hours before we arrive."

"Er, Tug, wouldn't it make more sense for me to just teleport us to each location?" Lauren inquired.

Tug and Jamal exchanged a glance before Tug replied "We've already thought about that, but the Colonel knows the route we plan on taking since he's the one who designed it for us and he'll get pretty suspicious when a several thousand mile trip reads only a few hundred on the speedometer."

"Ugh, typical. Of course he'd check the speedometer." Lauren muttered, crossing her arms in defeat. Suddenly her eyes widened in concern as she said "Tug, you're the only one with a license on this bus. How are you going to manage driving the entire way?"

At that, all of the cadets looked up and smirked mischievously. "Sure Tug may be the only one with a license but that doesn't mean we don't all know how to drive." Jamal began.

Miguel rolled his eyes at the vagueness of that explanation and clarified "What he means to say is that since we can all drive, we'll drive in shifts. And if a cop tries to pull us over, if Tug isn't driving we'll get him into the driver's seat."

"It's very smart." Grunt added, his voice echoing from inside the cabinet he was currently raiding.

"The Colonel is having you do something illegal?" Sibella asked, her eyes wide.

"Ironic, isn't it?" Roger replied, going back to his nap.

"Well, none of us can drive or else we'd help." Elsa admitted, slightly bashful.

"Why would we need to when half of us can fly and Lauren can teleport us wherever we need to go?" Tanis argued.

"We didn't invite you ladies to help us drive so don't worry about it. Now go make yourselves comfortable." Tug instructed as he snatched the comic book out of Jamal's hands.

"Hey! I was reading that!" he indignantly cried.

"Too bad 'cause now you're navigating. So go sit shot gun." Tug instructed, tossing the book over his shoulder before plunking down into his seat.

Jamal dragged himself out of his chair and sluggishly made his way over to the chair, muttering "Why can't one of the girls do this since they don't have to drive?" under his breath. Before he was fully seated, Tug started up the ride, causing Jamal to fall back into the chair with a hard thud. As he irritably rubbed his back Tug laughed.

Rolling her eyes, Lauren muttered "This is going to be a long month," before joining the rest of the ghouls on the various couches.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Without a Paddle**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC.

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After twenty minutes worth of being jostled by the rough way Tug was driving on the gravel road, the bus began driving on the interstate, the turbulence abruptly ended. Lauren slowly pried her fingers away from the window sill upon which she had been holding herself steady and looked around to see what everyone else was doing. Looking around, she saw Sibella, Elsa, Tanis, Winnie, and Phantasma as well as Roger, Grunt, Baxter, and Miguel gathered around the ping pong table. Roger and Grunt were playing against Tanis and Phantasma who were apparently losing. Chuckling to herself, Lauren walked over to join the spectators of the game.

"Game Point." Baxter said as Roger and Grunt looked extremely confident, whereas Phantasma and Tanis shook their heads in defeat. You could obviously tell who was winning.

As the game continued on, the next point was scored by Roger who high fived Grunt and cheered in victory. "Yes!"

Lauren crossed her arms over her chest, ashamed of their behavior towards the ghouls. They needed to be put in their proper places before they got a little too cocky.

"See that just proves that guys are better than girls when it comes to sports." Grunt said when Roger froze. "What?" he asked when Roger took a hand, grabbed Grunt's head and shifted its direction so that he was looking at Lauren, who was looking extremely cross at their behavior.

Sibella and Elsa chuckled while Miguel said "I see only one way to settle this. You two," He pointed at Grunt and Roger, "Against you," he pointed at Lauren, "And whoever you decide to partner up with." he finished.

Lauren quirked up an eyebrow at the challenge as Sibella stepped forward and said "I volunteer to help you destroy them."

Suddenly Roger and Grunt weren't so confident that they would win anymore. Phantasma and Tanis suddenly got excited at the prospect of the cadets getting their rear ends kicked by Lauren and Sibella. Phantasma handed Sibella her paddle and Tanis gave Lauren the other as the two took their places at the edge of the table.

"You're serve." Roger said, bouncing the ball on the table which Lauren caught with ease.

Before serving, Lauren looked at Sibella with a coy smile that Sibella returned. Then Lauren served. She hit the ball so hard that neither Grunt nor Roger couldn't even see it as it whizzed past them.

"Point to the girls." Baxter said. Apparently he had been named unofficial score keeper. "Zero points for Team Idiot." he said, referring to Grunt and Roger who glared at him before continuing their search for the missing ball.

When they did find it, they tossed it to Lauren who easily caught it. She turned to Sibella and asked "Would you like to do the honors?"

Accepting the small, plastic ball, Sibella replied "I would be honored." In the next second Sibella had served the ball with the same speed as Lauren had and yet again Grunt and Roger missed it.

"Two points for the girls. Zero points for the idiots." Baxter said, really entertained now.

Roger found the ball, then, and he tossed it to Lauren who served it. This time the boys were a bit more ready and they hit it. Sibella was closer to the ball so she swung out and hit the ball back. Grunt just barely missed it.

"Three points for the girls. Do I even need to say what the idiots have?" Baxter announced with a smile.

"Baxter, you can quit calling us 'the idiots' now if you want." Grunt grumbled dangerously.

"But I don't want to so I won't." Baxter replied, chortling.

As he laughed, Roger had found the ball and was about to toss it to Sibella when Grunt put his hand over Roger's. He took the ball and took careful aim before hitting it. _Bam!_ The ball hit Baxter square in the forehead. The cadets all found this to be hilarious. The ghouls did not. Lauren walked over to him and gently cupped his face in her hands, healing him.

After a moment, Baxter was healed so he handed the ball to Sibella and whispered "Make them suffer."

Sibella grinned evilly as she served the ball so hard that after it bounced, it hit Grunt in the eye before falling to the floor. Grunt dropped the paddle and both of his hands flew up to his eye, covering it as he grimaced in pain.

Lauren dropped her paddle as well and ran to his side. "Grunt, are you alright?"

After a moment Grunt nodded and said "Yeah, I'm fine. It's your serve by the way." he said, handing her the ball.

Lauren took the ball from him before healing his eye. Once she was finished, she walked back over to her side and plucked up her paddle.

"Four points for the girls." Baxter mumbled, barely audible as Lauren served.

This time, it was very easy for Grunt to hit it back. Sibella dived and hit the ball just in time. Roger had about a second to hit the ball, which he did in the nick of time. Lauren did some quick calculations before hitting the ball with a powerful amount of force. It sailed past the boys.

"Five points for the girls." Baxter said, no longer bothering to call Grunt and Roger 'Team Idiot' or 'the idiots' ever since the eye incident.

Sibella had lost all of her enthusiasm and felt very guilty, even if Lauren had completely healed him. She had never meant to hit Grunt in the eye, but none the less, she had.

"Would you like to serve, Sibella?" Lauren asked, extending the ball towards her friend.

"No. Not really." The happy atmosphere had morphed into a sad and boring atmosphere. All enthusiasm was gone. Lauren went ahead and served again.

Grunt missed the ball by a millimeter so Baxter said "Six points for the girls. What a shocker." There were a few laughs as Lauren and Sibella scored four more points.

"Game Point." Baxter announced since Lauren and Sibella only needed one more point to win. Grunt and Roger needed eleven more points to win since they still had zero.

The eleventh point was hardest to earn for the girls. Lauren served, Roger blocked it and sent it back in Sibella's direction. She nearly missed, but just managed to hit it over the net. Grunt swung at it with ferocity which Lauren readily returned. With a twirl of her paddle, Lauren flipped it around before beautifully hitting the ball.

Roger just barely missed the ball and hung his head in defeat as Baxter declared "And the winner is the girls!" Sibella and Lauren high-fived each other.

Jamal whispered to Tug "They only won because Roger and Grunt are terrible. They didn't beat two guys, they beat two babies."

Lauren and Sibella snapped their heads towards their direction. Tug held his hands up in mock surrender and pointed at Jamal, saying "I didn't say anything. It was all him." He wasn't planning to die today, that was for sure. This was all Jamal's fault and Tug knew that he had to get out of there. Quickly. Before he ended up in a heap of trouble because of his best friend. "Jamal," Tug began in a tentative voice. "I believe that they heard you."

Jamal looked scared, as though he had stumbled into a den of angry grizzly bears, an appropriate reaction for when one simultaneously angers a vampiress and a daughter of both Mother Nature and the boogeyman. Now that he thought about it, the bears would be preferable to what he was facing at the moment. Two of the most lethal females on the planet. Not good odds when you pissed them off.

"Is that a challenge?" Sibella asked with a smirk.

"Yes it is! Go on now!" Roger shouted with a wide smile.

Miguel grinned as he slid into the driver's seat, effectively kicking Tug out.

"Hey, man! I didn't say anything! It was all Jamal. And I'm driving! If you want to see someone get their butt kicked so badly, you go play a round."

Miguel dismissively waved him off as Tug slowly stood up, dusting himself off. "No hablo ingles, amigo."

"I hate you." Tug spat before grabbing Jamal by his shirt collar and forcefully hoisting him over to the ping pong table. Roger and Grunt sniggered as they handed them their paddles. Tug glared at Jamal.

"Let us know when you are ready." Lauren told them, smiling politely as she held the ping pong ball up, ready to serve.

"As ready as we'll ever be." Tug told them, hoping this game would end quickly.

Sibella smiled then and said "Tug, don't worry! You're not the one we're mad at." She glared at Jamal as she finished.

Before either of the cadets knew what was happening, Lauren served. She hit the ball so hard in Jamal's direction, that he just had time to duck before the ball sizzled over his head.

"Point for the girls!" Baxter said, still the scorekeeper.

Tug, no longer afraid for his own life, walked over and got the ping pong ball. With the flick of his wrist, he sent the ball towards Lauren who extended her hand and caught it. She then preceded to hand the ball to Sibella and sweetly asked "Would you like to serve?"

"I'd love nothing more!" Sibella chirped as she took aim. Jamal would have been decapitated, had he not ducked yet again. Tug gathered the ball in his hands and tossed it at Lauren. As soon as Tug got back to the ping pong table, Lauren served the ball in Jamal's direction yet again.

"Now the girls have three points." Baxter announced, stifling a yawn.

As Tug got the ball he asked "Am I even needed in this game or is it all on Jamal's shoulders? After all, mister 'No hablo ingles' over there might not know how to properly navigate."

"I'll go help Miguel." Roger volunteered quickly.

Lauren and Sibella both pondered this for a moment before Lauren began to speak. "Well, it wouldn't be fair if Jamal was all by himself. We don't want to go to his funeral just yet anyway." Sibella attempted to stifle her laugh, but it came out regardless of her futile attempts at restraining it.

Jamal looked absolutely terrified as Sibella served the ball. It hit the table once then was sent flying towards his face. He held his paddle out in self defense and the ball hit the paddle and was sent back at the girls. Surprised, Lauren dove and just managed to send it back in his direction. Jamal was no match for Lauren and decided upon letting the ball harmlessly pass by him.

"Four points for the girls." Baxter says as Lauren took the ball and prepared to serve again when Jamal exclaimed "If I appologize, can we just drop this competition already?"

Lauren lowered her arms and turned to look at Sibella with raised eyebrows. Sibella looked just as shocked. She simply shrugged her shoulders so Lauren turned back to Jamal and replied with a simple "Sure."

"Okay! I'm sorry!" Jamal quickly exclaimed.

"Sounds sincere enough to me. How 'bout you, Sibella?" Lauren inquired of her friend.

"I suppose so." Sibella allowed, setting down her paddle.

"Am I off the hook?" he asked with a smile.

"Just barely, but I suppose so." Lauren told him, his voice laden with reluctance.

"Yes!" Jamal fist pumped mid air as he said this.

Not a second later had passed when Miguel announced "We're here! Welcome to the French Quarter, eses!"

"That was fast." Grunt noted, trying, and failing, to mentally calculate how far New Orleans was from their schools.

"Time flies when you're getting pulverised." Elsa supplied helpfully. Grunt opened his mouth to reply, thought better of it, and shut his mouth. Elsa nodded approvingly before joining the ghouls as they left the bus.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: The French Quarter**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC

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Once everyone had filed out of the bus, they all looked to Tug. "Well, where do we go from here?" Lauren asked, shouldering her Patagonia atom.

Shrugging, Tug replied "Wherever we want to go. The goal is to visit all fifty states. We could leave right now if you wanted to."

"No way. I didn't escape a beat down only to walk right back into it." Grunt admitted.

"It's nice of you to admit how truly beaten you were, Grunt, but trust me, we're not done here yet. We've been at Miss Grimwood's for ages. I want to go shopping." Sibella suggested, tossing her hair behind her shoulder.

"To quote Grunt, 'no way'. We finally get a vacation from the Colonel and I for one am not wasting it in a bunch of girly stores." Roger snapped, shooting Sibella a slight glare. He was still bitter about the ping pong match.

"We also didn't come on vacation to argue. Roger, stop being a jerk." Jamal instructed.

"Sir, yes, sir." Roger said, giving a mock salute. "Sorry, Sibella," he added as an afterthought.

"It's all right." Sibella replied, waving him off.

"Shopping personally sounds like a fun idea. But that looks ever better." Elsa said, pointing towards a massive ferry boat. Everyone's eyes followed her finger and gazed at the massive white boat.

"Well, it beats shopping." Roger said, eagerly striding over towards the boat.

After exchanging several glances and the shrugging of shoulders, the rest of the gang followed him. They strode over to the ticketmaster where Roger was impatiently waiting.

When they arrived, Roger asked "Tug, where's the cash the Colonel gave you? It's two dollars a person so you need to cough up twenty four bucks."

"Nah, it's cool, Roger, I can pay for it." Lauren replied, reaching back for her bag.

As she was rifling through it Tug placed a hand on yours. "The Colonel gave us extra money to pay for you girls as well. You don't have to pay." Lauren opened her mouth to reply by was cut off. "You're super rich, I know. But wouldn't it make you feel better to spend the Colonel's money?"

Lauren took this into consideration before nodding her head and allowing it. She slung her bag back over her shoulder and allowed Tug to hand the man twenty four dollars. They were subsequently waved on through and boarded the boat.

The twelve of them climbed to the top deck and squeezed their way into a spot by the railing, giving them a perfect view of the water. A gentle breeze blew in their direction, bringing with it the smell of salt water from the bay and the scent of the city. The tour took them around in a circle, lasting just over two hours. During which, Tug bought them all beignets that were completely blanketed in powdered sugar.

As they filed off, Lauren checked the time on her phone and saw that it was still early in the day. "We still have time to tour the city and visit some shops before eating lunch."

"Yeah, okay. Where should we start?" Roger asked.

"We could just walk around the city and go from store to store until we arrive back at the van." Elsa logically suggested.

"Sounds like a scream! Let's do it!" Phanty cried, spinning up in the air.

Winnie grabbed her by the ankle and pulled her back down to earth. "C'mon, Phanty, we don't want to give ourselves away."

"Sorry, Winnie," Phantasma replied, still giddy.

Lauren beamed at them all. They had been so cooped up in Miss Grimwood's that they never entirely got to experience the outside world. It was bound to be exciting and new and an all around crazy trip. She was glad the guys had invited them.

They strolled down the incredibly packed sidewalks and went from shop to shop, browsing more than anything else. After a while, the stores enclosed by walls gave way to a street market filled with vibrant colored tents and vendors. The ghouls especially enjoyed looking through the hodgepodge of goods, even if they were browsing more than anything else. Lauren bought each of them a souvenir against Tug's wishes. However, she won him over with the argument that the Colonel gave them enough money for food, gas, and the occasional cheap activity and they'd already splurged on a ferry boat cruise. "Besides," she explained, "I am Mother Nature's daughter. I have access to the earth, as well as whatever's under it. That includes precious metals such as gold and silver to gemstones such as rubies and sapphires. How do you think my parents had so much American money in the first place? As if either of them would get a human job."

Tug just shook his head unbelievingly as they continued to walk around.

For lunch they stopped by a stand that served fresh gumbo. Each bowl was served with a piece of king cake. Baxter happened to find a plastic baby in his so their entire meal was free.

"Sweet. Now we can splurge on dinner." Grunt simply stated, receiving several eye rolls.

When they finally arrived outside the bus, Tug walked inside and called "All aboard!"

As he went to sit down in the driver's seat Roger gently shoved him aside and said "Man, you've been driving all morning. I got this. Baxter, come over here and navigate for me."

Tug nodded appreciatively before allowing Roger to take his seat before moving over to where Lauren sat, sat beside her, and casually threw an arm around her shoulders. He had been driving since five in the morning and was exhausted. Not long after, his head tilted back and he fell asleep.

Lauren spared him a glance and saw that he was asleep. Smiling to herself, she pecked him on the cheek and leaned her head against his shoulder, deciding that she could use a nap herself and closed her eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: 67 Protons**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC

* * *

Within the next three days, the had visited the USS _Alabama_ in Alabama, the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Okefenokee Swamp Park in Georgia, Fort Sumter National Monument in South Carolina, and the Lost World Caverns in West Virginia. The next stop was the Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center in North Carolina.

As they crossed the state border into North Carolina, Lauren and Tug exchanged a nostalgic glance. Given that Tug was driving and Lauren was navigating, the two managed to take a detour, driving past their old school. Unconsciously the two clasped hands as they drove past Hamilton High.

"Funny how the worst place on Earth ended up being the reason for why our lives are so great now." Tug commented offhandedly.

Lauren gently squeezed his hand. "It was nice to see it one last time. Honestly, if anything we have my Father to thank for the fact that we don't go there anymore."

Tug chuckled under his breath before saying "Because Calloway's is so much better."

Lauren frowned slightly before nudging him lightly in the ribs. "It is. You get to see me everyday."

Tug waved away her comment. "Yeah, but I was planning on doing that regardless of my current situation."

"Well, you are dating a person capable of teleportation so I think we could have easily managed. However, you can't deny moments like this were definitely worth all the hassle of moving." Lauren replied as they reached an intersection. She looked down at the map before instructing Tug to turn left.

"Lauren, you've definitely been worth it all." Tug replied, looking away from the road to stare dreamily at her.

"How much further?" Grunt demanded from the back, interrupting the couple's mood.

Tug scowled before replying "Another six hours! North Carolina is a wide state and we've got to drive from the mountains all the way to the coast."

With a groan of boredom, Grunt crossed his arms and went back to staring out the window. The Appalachians were quite a contrast to the flat, marshy Louisiana bayou where he was from. But the entertainment value in trees and mountains didn't last long. He frequently asked how much longer, each time increasingly infringing upon both Lauren and Tug's patience.

Finally Tug turned around and shouted "Grunt, I'm pulling into the nearest rest stop and letting you drive. That way, you'll know we're there when you get there!"

Lauren hid her smirk behind the map as Tug pulled off the interstate. Once he'd completely pulled to a stop, he presented the seat to Grunt who begrudgingly took it. Lauren shoved the map into Jamal's lap and said "Either you can navigate, or volunteer someone else for the job. Just as long as I'm not doing it for at least the next six hours."

"Ugh. Are you sure you can't just teleport us there?" Jamal frustratedly asked, picking up the map and searching for their current location.

Lauren pointed it out before pulling out her spell book. "Unless there's something in here about changing the amounts on a speedometer, then we're out of look. I can flip through, but I've looked before and there's nothing in there about doing such a thing." She glanced down at the book before adding "So until that happens, don't bother me." Lauren sat down beside Tug and propped her feet up on the coffee table. Opening her spellbook, she slowly began scanning each page, looking for something that could change numbers. Tug shifted his position so that his head rested in Lauren's lap and his body stretched out along the couch. Sparing him a loving glance, with one hand she ran her fingers through his hair, with the other she held the book, continuing her search.

They finally arrived at the Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center. Lauren had yet to find a spell that would change the numbers on the speedometer, however, she did manage to reveal a cowlick on Tug's head that had beforehand been slicked down with hair gel. "I don't see what the big deal is," she had told him. "I mean, your hair is a straggly, spiky mess. What's one cowlick?"

"But it looks funny." Tug argued weakly.

"No it doesn't. It's cute." Lauren countered, fingering it.

"First my hair's straggly, now it's cute? Someone's acting rather mercurial today." Tug replied, smiling up at her.

The corner of her lips quirked up into a smile as she nonetheless began to smooth his cowlick until it rested flat against his head.

As they waited in line, Jamal glanced at how much tickets cost. What he saw made him grin as he turned to face Tug and Lauren. "Thanks a lot for being so old you two. The rest of us get in for free but because you two are both sixteen you owe the man at the stand fourteen bucks."

Lauren shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well. It's the Colonel's money, not mine. Besides, most of the places we're visiting are free for all ages so it's not like us having to pay here is a huge deal."

"But it's not like we have an unlimited supply of cash. Money doesn't just grow on trees, ya know." Grunt pointed out.

At that, Lauren smirked before replying "But it does shoot out of the ground. At least, it does when I'm around and there's gemstones under the ground. Money won't be an issue if it comes to that." Having appeased Grunt, Lauren took the fourteen dollars from Tug and handed it to the person handing out passes. She accepted the twelve tickets, held onto one for herself, and passed out the remaining eleven. They then walked inside. Inside the building was practically an exact copy of the plan first invented by the Wright brothers.

Miguel seemed to be the most excited about the sight of the ancient tech. "Just look at that! I can't believe we're seeing the first plane _ever_ built! This has inspired every single contraption I've ever designed and now I have the honor of looking at it!" He continued gushing for a solid five minutes and was talking so fast that he slipped into Spanish.

"Earth to Miguel! Snap out of it!" Tug exclaimed, snapping his fingers in Miguel's face.

Miguel blinked and shook his head before coming back to reality. After assessing the looks his friends were giving him he grinned impishly. Rubbing the back of his head he said "Sorry, I guess I was a little overwhelmed. And I still am. I mean, just look at the design-"

"Not again! Baxter groaned, cutting him off.

"You need to get underwhelmed, Miguel." Jamal suggested. "Or just drop down to being whelmed. I mean, that has to be a thing, right?" Scratching his head and deep in thought, he began pacing the nearby area trying to work out whether being 'whelmed' was indeed a state of mind a person could attain.

"You guys don't understand how awesome this is. Clearly you have no appreciation of cultural and historic icons." Miguel argued, crossing his arms as though demanding a challenge.

"I may not have a 'cultural appreciation' or whatever, but at least I have a girlfriend." Tug threw at him, crossing his arms as well.

"Whatever. Your girlfriend has sixty seven protons!" Miguel fired back.

"Lauren is not a hoe!" Tug shouted, consumed with rage.

"Wait, what?" Sibella asked as she clenched her fists, both utterly confused and enraged.

"The element with sixty seven protons is holmium. The chemical symbol of holmium is 'ho'." Elsa explained, grinding her teeth in rage at hearing her best friend being called such a thing.

Tug was facing off with Miguel. "Now take it back." he demanded.

Miguel held his arms up in mock surrender. "Calm down, ese. No need for things to get feo. I take it back. Sorry, Lauren."

"It's fine, Miguel," she said, wrapping her arms around Tug's waist. He was still tense. "It's fine," she repeated, whispering into his ear before pecking him on the cheek.

"Let's head on outside and look at the remaining exhibits." Elsa suggested after a moment, snapping everyone back to reality and disrupting the tense atmosphere.

"Yeah, we still have to get to Mount Vernon, Virginia after this so we really should get going." Tanis added, tugging on Winnie's arm to get her to come along with her. The two began running towards the doors.

Sibella nudged Phantasma in the ribs and said "You know, the locals say the mountain is haunted."

"Psh, yeah, right. They're just a bunch of crazy hicks." Grunt laughed.

Lauren gave him a harsh look. "Yes, because ghosts obviously don't exist."

"She's right. I know some of the ghosts who live in the area." Phanty put in helpfully.

"Guys, we should probably follow Tanis and WInnie before they burn the museum down." Baxter replied suddenly. Everyone looked around and saw no sign of either ghoul.

"They said they were going outside…" Sibella trailed off, hoping that was where they had actually gone.

"Let's go check." Lauren finished for her, quickly walking over to the doors that led outside. Once outside, she broke into a steady jog, searching for the two youngest residents at her school. She found them standing in front of a stone monument dedicated to the two brothers, Orville and Wilbur. Sighing with relief, Lauren ran over to them so fast she almost teleported. Kneeling down, she hugged them close and said "You guys need to be more careful. You could have gotten lost! I know this place isn't very crowded, but still. You have to promise to stay with the group."

"Yeah, okay, Lauren." Winnie said, pulling out of the embrace.

"Sorry to scare you like that, Lauren." Tanis added, imitating Winnie.

"You know, for the daughter of the great and powerful boogeyman, you sure do scare easy." Tug said, an easy grin blossoming on his face.

As he wrapped his arms around Lauren, she smiled dangerously and replied "Don't let my sunny disposition fool you, Roper. I can show you scary any time I want to."

Paying the threat no heed, Tug's smile widened. "I'll take you up on that offer."

Lauren lightly hit him on the arm as their privacy was infringed upon by the rest of their friends.

Grunt pointed his thumb in Miguel's direction and said "We should probably go before he has another fit. He needs to be in a tech free environment, stat."

The couple before each looping their elbows through Miguel's and escorting him back to the van.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Tenuous Relations**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC

* * *

After spending a short hour at Mount Vernon, which Lauren and Tug particularly enjoyed as any good Hamilton High student would, they made their way to Washington D.C. where they would spend the night before exploring the city during the entirety of the next. So that they could all be up early tomorrow, they went to bed as soon as the bus was parked. They couldn't find free parking so they had to use a parking meter. And given they would be in that parking spot for nearly ten hours, they had to exchange cash for quarters at the nearest business, a slightly awkward conversation when twelve kids and teens asked to exchange a twenty dollar bill for eighty quarters. In the end, they had to hit up seventeen different stores before they had the proper amount of quarters required to pay off the parking meter.

As they all filed inside, Tug playfully nudged Lauren in the ribs and said "I'm surprised you didn't have the proper amount of quarters somewhere in your bag."

"Do excuse me if I don't carry around over a pound of quarters with me wherever I go. I'll be sure to do so during our next trip. Besides, I don't usually carry around paper human money. However, if you need to borrow any Transylvanian dollars or rare gemstones, I've got my fair share of both." Lauren replied helpfully.

Tug pulled her close and said "Hopefully our next trip will be just between the two of us, that way we can simply teleport wherever and not worry about parking meters and quarters."

"I'd like that very much." Lauren replied, completely closing the difference between herself and Tug, placing her palms against his chest.

"Ahem," Roger coughed softly, interrupting the mood. "I'd say get a room, but since we're on a bus you two are out of luck."

"Leave them alone. It's sweet." Sibella snapped before sighing dreamily in Lauren and Tug's direction.

"Don't be such a girl. It's disgusting." Grunt said in agreement.

"You're just jealous because you know you'll never have a girlfriend who's as amazing and wonderful as Lauren!" Tanis snapped in his direction.

"Settle down, everyone. We're through. And it's getting late so we should all go to bed." Lauren suggested, attempting to settle the tension.

She had worked so hard to secure good relations between the ghouls and the cadets and for the most part everyone got along. However, there were some instances, such as just now, when the two groups argued with each other. It was a tenuous relation at best, and took a serious effort to keep that relationship healthy. She let out a sigh of relief as everyone prepared for bed.

It wasn't long before everyone was asleep. Lauren, as well as Sibella and Phantasma, had each been granted top bunk due to their ability to fly. If they fell, they'd be fine as opposed to the other ghouls. Tug, Jamal, and Roger had also been given top bunk, the other three cadets sleeping bottom bunk.

Before either of the two could fall asleep, Tug reached out for Lauren's hand and loosely held it. Given how close all six bunk beds, this wasn't a difficult task to accomplish. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it lightly.

'I love you.' Lauren mouthed.

Tug looked at her lovingly and slowly lowered her hand from his lips. 'I love you, too.' he mouthed in reply.

Smiling sweetly, she added 'Good night and sweet dreams.'

'I will as long as you're around.' Tug told her with an easy grin.

Dang, that boy was smooth, Lauren thought to herself as she gently shut her eyes. Their hands still intertwined, the two fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: D.C. or Bust**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my OC

* * *

The sun was just beginning to rise as Lauren's eyes fluttered open. Per usual, she was the first person in the group to awaken. Coming to the conclusion that there would be a lot of walking today, she deciding to dress comfortably and athletically, she pulled out a white Vineyard Vines shirt, a pair of pink athletic shorts, and a pair of mint green Nike tennis shoes, she tucked away into the nearest restroom and changed. Once she was finished, she pulled her hair up into a simple ponytail and exited the restroom. Upon doing so, she saw the others had begun to stir. It wasn't long before everyone else was up. Clapping her hands together, Lauren suggested "Let's go grab some breakfast and then head on out and see the sights."

"Sounds great 'cause I'm starving!" Grunt replied eagerly, lightly smacking his stomach.

This was soon followed by a mass raiding of the cabinets in search of something to eat for breakfast.

Lauren retrieved a banana nut muffin and a water bottle. She shoved the water bottle into her bag in case she got thirsty later before unwrapping the muffin. She tore a chunk off the muffin and popped it into her mouth.

Glancing at his watch, Jamal said "Guys, the Smithsonian's will be opening in three hours. What should we do until then?"

"We could view all of the monuments first. That should eat up three hours, if not more." Elsa suggested, looking at a map she had picked up last night. "In fact, we're parked so close to the Washington monument that we could loop around the Reflecting Pool, visit all the nearby memorials, and then make our way towards the museums."

Phantasma nodded approvingly. "Good idea, Elsa. We should leave as soon as possible!"

Baxter took the map from Elsa, glanced at it, and said "If we leave now, walk briskly, and don't spend too much time at any one spot, we can make it back to the Smithsonian's before they even open and secure a sweet spot in line."

"Excellent observation, Baxter. Cadets, prepare to move out in T minus five minutes." Jamal commanded with an approving nod from Tug.

"This'll be a fangtastic day!" Sibella happily chirped, slipping on a pair of red flats.

Winnie followed suit, begrudgingly putting on a pair of shoes. Back at Miss Grimwood's she had gone barefoot. However, if she wanted to go on the trip, Lauren told her she would have to wear shoes given that none of the places they planned on going to would allow her entrance if she didn't. The werewolf still wasn't fully acquainted with shoes but she was learning to get used to them.

Once everyone was fully dressed and had finished eating, the twelve of them headed out. Within the next three hours, they visited the Washington Monument, the White House, the World War Two Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans memorial, the Lincoln memorial, the Korean War Veterans memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorial, the D.C. War memorial, and the Thomas Jefferson memorial.

"Okay eses, what musuem do you want to visit first?" Miguel inquired.

"Oh, oh! The Museum of Natural History! I want to visit the Egyptian mummy exhibit!" Tanis exclaimed excitedly.

"Don't worry, Tanis, we're going to visit all of them. But I think we should visit the American History Museum first since it's closest to where we are now." Baxter suggested.

Rather than looking defeated at being shut down, Tanis simply beamed and replied "Sounds good to me. Let's go!" She grabbed Baxter by the arm and began towing him towards the American History Museum, everyone else following in their wake.

The cadets particularly enjoyed the exhibits dedicated towards the war veterans from all the wars America had fought in. The ghouls, on the other hand, were overly fond of the exhibit dedicated towards the First Ladies and their inaugural gowns. Even Winnie couldn't help but admire the intricate dresses.

After nearly an hour and a half, the group made their way towards the Museum of Natural History. Tanis was jumping up and down and practically squealing with delight the entire way. Lauren giggled at the sight of the precious little ghoul skipping about like there was no tomorrow. Deciding how important it was to Tanis to see the mummy exhibit, the group when there first before exploring the rest of the museum.

The animal exhibits were a unanimous favorite and where most of their time was spent before they headed over to the Air and Space Museum.

Before entering, Tug placed a hand on each of Miguel's shoulders before looking him deeply in the eyes and saying "We are only going to be in here for about two hours so that means you can't spend ten minutes ogling at each and every plane. You can do that for one of them, three tops, but no more. We'll take pictures that you can stare longingly at the rest of the trip, okay? Just promise not to go overboard in there."

Miguel nodded solemnly, promising to adhere to Tug's orders.

"Good," Tug said, clapping him on the back before they all headed inside.

In the end, the group stayed in the Air and Space Museum until its closing. However, that still wasn't long enough for Miguel. It took being threatened to be hauled out by security, followed by Lauren beating him up, before Miguel finally agreed to calmly walk out.

"Alright, guys, it's only six o'clock. What do you want to do?" Roger asked, denoting to his watch.

Baxter scratched his chin before suggesting "We should probably just drive to our next stop. After all, since we just stayed in D.C. today, we need to visit the next three stops tomorrow."

"I agree. I for one could use a break because I'm exhausted!" Phantasma said, agreeing with Baxter.

"Phanty, you didn't walk. At all. You just levitated an inch above the ground so that the people wouldn't notice." Winnie pointed out with a small grin.

"And your point is…?" Phantasma asked, trailing off.

"Ugh. Never mind." Winnie sighed, shaking her head.

Jamal clapped his hands together and said "Sounds like a unanimous consensus to me. Let's get on the bus."

"Good cause I'm tired." Tanis said, yawning hugely.

"C'mon, Tanis, let's get you into bed." Lauren said, scooping the little mummy up in her arms. Tanis rested her head against Lauren's shoulders and allowed herself to be carried inside.

Everyone else followed in after them. Miguel took the wheel and drove them to the nearest restaurant drive thru, ordered everyone a burger and a soda, before heading off towards the Colonial Annapolis Historic District in Maryland.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Comedy Gold**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Within the next two days, the group visited Colonial Annapolis Historic District in Maryland, New Castle Historic District in Delaware, Cape May Historic District in New Jersey, the Liberty Bell in Pennsylvania, and the Statue of Liberty in New York. They were currently on their way to the Mark Twain House and Museum in Connecticut. On the way to the museum, they decided to stop for lunch at Frank Pepe, supposedly the creator of the best pizza in the state, if not the country. They walked in and browsed the menu. Deciding to spend a little extra of the Colonel's money, they splurged on three large pizzas. It wasn't long before the food was brought out.

"I only want one slice." Lauren said, pulling a single piece of cheese pizza free from its delicious brethren.

"Me too. Pizza is very fattening." Tug said in agreement as he put two slices on top of each other before taking a bite.

He moaned in appreciation as Lauren quirked an eyebrow and observed "Tug, that's two. You just stacked two slices on top of each other."

He placed a finger against her lips to shush her. "Shh, honey. Not when you eat it like this. The body doesn't know."

Rolling her eyes in amusement, Lauren replied "Whatever you say, babe."

Tug gave her a cheesy grin, both literally and metaphorically.

Lauren stuck her tongue out in reply. "You're hilarious."

Tug sat up straighter and in a smug voice, he acknowledged the compliment. "I know. It's a gift."

"Oh, please. I'm much funnier than you."

"Oh, it's on. We're settling this the second we get in the bus."

"You're going down, cadet."

"Strong words from a monster."

"Was that meant to insult me? This is going to be easier than I thought."

The others had been watching this exchange with rapt attention. When it was over, bets were quickly placed. "I've got ten bucks on Lauren." Sibella whispered, the other ghouls all nodding in agreement. Surprisingly, most of the cadets felt the same way.

"Count me in on that. What an easy score."

"I want in on that."

"Me too."

"I'll take a piece of that action."

"Okay, seriously? What kinda friends are you?" Tug snapped, glaring daggers at the rest of the cadets.

"I bet ten bucks that Tug'll win." Baxter said with a grin.

Tug nodded appreciatively before saying "Thank you, Baxter. You're the only one I can trust."

"Brown noser." Roger mumbled at the exact same second Grunt whispered "Kiss up."

"It's clear who's going to win this. And I've got a good one to start off with," Lauren began. "So if Mary had baby Jesus, and baby Jesus was the Lamb of God, did Mary have a little lamb?" Lauren asked, cracking a grin because it was indeed hilarious. The rest of the group snorted.

After a while, Tug said "I can easily one up that. A Roman walks into a bar, holds up two fingers, and says 'Five drinks, please.'"

"Ok I'll admit that was a good one." Lauren replied. "But I've got a better one. Do you know how to fit an elephant into a safeway bag?"

"How?" Tug asked.

"Take the 's' out of 'safe' and the 'f' out of 'way'." Lauren instructed.

"There is no 'f' in 'way'." Tug said, confused.

Lauren just smiled. Suddenly comprehension dawned on him as Lauren laughed.

"That one's got to be the best." Tug told her with a smile.

"Now let me tell one. What's the difference between a piano, a tuna, and a pot of glue?"

"I don't know." Lauren confessed.

"You can tune a piano, but you can't piano a tuna."

Lauren giggled before asking "What about the glue?"

"I knew you'd get stuck there."

"Tug, you're punishing me with this!"

"I see what you did there. This was supposed to be my joke."

"It is. I just made it better." Lauren told him with a smirk before saying "Kanye replaces Zayn in One Direction and kicks everyone out, saying 'There is only one direction. West.'"

"That is pure comedy gold."

"I guess you could say it's Perfect."

"Did you just?"

"Yes, yes I did."

"Alright. Let me teach you a little history. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of his life, which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail. And with his odd diet he suffered from bad breath. This made him a super calloused frail mystic hexed by halitosis."

Lauren doubled over laughing at Tug's joke. "Oh man, now that was funny. Let's see if I can top that." Everyone watched with baited breath, awaiting Lauren's reply. Finally she asked "How do you get an 'A' on everything?"

"I don't know. How?"

At that, Lauren's grin widened. "Commit adultery in a seventeenth century Puritan town."

"Nice 'Scarlet Letter' reference, Lauren."

"I try." she replied modestly.

"Well I'd say you guys are pretty tied right now. Let's hear one more joke from each of you and whichever one is funnier, that person is the winner." Phantasma suggested.

"Good idea, Phanty. Okay, Tug, you go first."

Tug pondered his next joke very carefully before saying "Convicted hitman Jimmy 'Two Shoes' McClardy confessed today that he was once hired to beat a cow to death in a rice field using only two small porcelain figures. Police admit that this may be the first known case of a knick-knack paddy whack."

At this, laughter filled the bus. "Okay, Lauren, it's all down to you. Tug gets points for putting a twist on a classic nursery rhyme, but there's still a chance you can top that."

Taking a deep breath, Lauren smiled slightly before saying "What is Jay Gatsby's favorite superhero? The Green Lantern. And who's his least favorite? Deadpool."

Once she'd finished, even more laughter filled the bus. "Okay, Lauren gets points for combining a book reference with superheroes. Guys, I think for that reason she deserves to win." Grunt declared.

"No fair. You just want her to win because you bet on her." Tug fired back, defiantly crossing his arms."

"No, I'm voting for her because she's funnier. Case closed."

"Tug, her joke involved superheroes. Yours involved porcelain figurines. Grunt's not being biased, he's being realistic." Elsa told him, placing a consoling hand on Tug's shoulders.

Miguel turned to Baxter and said "Okay, ese. Time to pay up. You owe the nine of us ten dollars each."

Baxter's face fell as he whined "Aw, c'mon, Miguel, you know I don't have ninety bucks."

"Too bad, man. We made a bet. Had Tug somehow won, we'd all be handing you ten dollars right now." Roger explained.

Jamal shoved Roger out of the way and pointed out "But since Tug didn't win, you owe us. Now pay up."

"Guys, cut the kid a break. He was just trying to make Tug feel better after you lot callously, but logically, decided to bet on me rather than him. I'll give you each ten dollars if that's really what you want." Lauren said, coming to Baxter's rescue.

Grunt waved his hand dismissively and said "No, it's the principle of it all. It's not about the money; it's about Baxter paying up. If he can't, then we'll have to work something else out."

"Something else out…?" Lauren trailed off, deep in thought when her eyes suddenly lit up. "You heard him, Baxter. You have to pay them. It's totally out of my hands. If you don't have cash, I guess you'll have to pay them with _something else_." Lauren winked at him.

Baxter still looked confused. Trying not to draw attention to herself, she subtly denoted to the ground before pointing towards Baxter's bunk. His eyes widening, he dashed over to his bunk before looking under it. His eyes gleaming, he pulled out a raw, uncut diamond. "Will this be enough?" Baxter asked, offering the gem towards those he had bet against. Everyone stared at the gem in shock before turning towards Lauren and glaring at her.

Under the glare Lauren held her arms up in surrender before defending herself. "Hey, you guys said I couldn't offer cash. And besides, I didn't give _you guys_ anything. Baxter found the gem all on his own. Isn't that right, Baxter?"

"Right, Lauren!" Baxter chirped in agreement.

"And besides, that's worth way more than a measly ninety dollars so whatever money you have leftover you can return to Baxter." Lauren held her arms out, palms up as though displaying a peace offering. Doing so, she winked at Baxter again who beamed at her. If Lauren kept this up, he'd be able to buy Calloway's school in a matter of minutes, become the new headmaster, and make his ex fellow cadets do whatever he wanted. Make them do things as payback for the next time the lot of them decided to gang up on him as they had just a few seconds ago.

"Remind me the next time we go out on a date that you're buying." Tug told her, finally drawing his eyes away from the diamond.

Lauren gave him a simpering look before replying "I've offered to countless times. Maybe I should pull a diamond out of the ground more often. It seems to have left you rather speechless." She wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling even more hugely than before. "I love you, Tug. Even if you're not very funny."

"Heh," he laughed in reply, embracing her tightly. "I love you, too, even if you're lacking in comedic tastes."

Lauren chose not to reply, but rather she leaned her head against his chest, shifting under his arms so that she could be closer to him.

"Guys, I hate to interrupt the romance but we're here." Roger called from the driver's seat. Smiling, the couple pulled apart before clasping hands, ready to explore the next historic site.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: The Room Where It Happened**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC

* * *

"Man, I am _beat_." Grunt muttered under his breath as he pulled into the parking lot of the Mount Washington Hotel in New Hampshire. He had an excellent reason to be 'beat', given that they had driven to the Breakers in Rhode Island, the USS _Constitution_ in Massachusetts, and the Acadia National Park in Maine.

"At least the last stop of the day is a hotel." Elsa pointed out, closing the atlas and shoving it into the glove compartment.

"She's got a point. That'll certainly save some time. And it certainly beats showering in the bus. No offense you guys, but I could kill for hot water right about now." Sibella told them, her fingers itching towards her bag, ready to leave at a moment's notice. The second the bus stopped Sibella jumped out.

"Wait a second, we still need to check in. The Colonel did reserve us rooms, right?" Lauren asked, turning to look at the cadets.

Tug scratched the back of his neck before replying "Yeah, he reserved rooms. Two rooms. I hope that'll be enough."

"Well, I brought my inflatable sarcophagus that I got for Christmas so I can sleep in that." Tanis offered.

"And I can sleep in my bat form." Sibella added.

Lauren nodded approvingly, saying "So as long as there's two beds per room, we can definitely manage. My question is: will you guys have enough room?"

"We'll be fine. We've managed worse." Tug replied.

Lauren frowned at the way he dismissed her comment. She would never forgive Colonel Calloway for treating the boys so poorly.

"Let's get going, guys. I call first shower!" Phantasma shouted, slinging her bags out from under her bunk bed and running towards the hotel.

"No fair, Phanty! Why do you get to go first?" Tanis wailed at the unfairness of it all as she chased after her friend.

"We're going to get banned before all of us even get a chance to go inside." Elsa muttered under her breath.

"I just hope there's some hot water left." Sibella added from by her side.

"Let's just go check in. After you." Lauren said, holding the door open for Tug.

They all grabbed their bags and departed from the bus. Tug checked them in under Colonel Calloway's name before going their separate ways towards their rooms.

When the ghouls arrived in their room, they promptly selected their beds and stowed their luggage away. Then the argument over who would get first shower began. In the end, Lauren went first. Feeling gracious, she quickly went through the motions of a basic shower, finishing in just under five minutes. Lauren stepped out of the shower and wrapped her hair up in a towel before slipping into a simple dress and leaving the room to check on the cadets. She strolled over to their door and knocked twice. It wasn't long before Tug opened the door. Lauren greeted him warmly as he stepped out into the hallway. As she shut the door behind him, Tug suddenly appeared behind her, grabbed her towel hat, and tugged at it.

She promptly let out a cry of pain as Tug snatched his hand back and looked horrified. "What's wrong?" he asked in alarm.

After gently massaging her head, Lauren said "As if you don't know."

He looked confused as she unwrapped the towel, revealing her hair being twisted up in it before readjusting her towel hat. "I didn't know your hair was in there!" Tug cried in alarm.

"Are. . . are you serious?" Lauren asked, half in surprise, half in adoration.

Tug smiled sheepishly. "Completely serious. I'm sorry, babe."

"It's alright, love." Lauren replied, pecking him on the lips. "Anyways, I just thought I'd stop by and say good night before hitting the sack. Sweet dreams."

"As long as they're of you they will be." Tug replied, leaning down to kiss her.

Lauren melted into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Tug's neck, knotting her fingers into his hair. After a moment, Tug was in desperate need of oxygen so the two split apart. Sparing one more loving look towards each other, they went into their perspective rooms, ready to move out early the next morning.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: A Not-So-Nice Alarm**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

Early the next morning Lauren arose from the bed she had shared with Phantasma. After stretching hugely, she stood up, grabbed some clothes, and stowed away into the bathroom. After successfully dressing herself, she emerged from the bathroom dressed in a gray tee shirt, a floral skirt, and a pair of white Converses. They had to travel through four states today and therefore needed to be ready to leave as soon as possible. She gently shook each ghoul by the shoulder until they woke up.

Once they had rubbed the sleep out of their eyes and gotten dressed, Lauren pulled Winnie to the side and asked "How do you feel about giving the cadets a little wake up call?"

Winnie grinned mischievously as she and Lauren teleported into the cadet's room. Looking around, Lauren saw that Tug and Roger were in one bed, Miguel and Jamal in the other, Grunt was stretched out on the loveseat and Baxter was curled up on the nearest chair.

After admiring their peaceful slumber, Lauren let Winnie go and clamped her hands over her ears as Winnie let out an eardrum shattering howl. The cadets simultaneously, and theatrically, jumped out of bed, falling to the floor with a dull thud. Rubbing their rumps, they irritably scowled at Lauren and Winnie.

"What was that for?" Grunt inquired angrily.

"Yeah, seriously. It's only six in the morning, chicas. We're tired." Miguel added, moving to get back in bed.

"Not if we want to make it all the way to Indiana by tonight. We have another hotel to get to, after all." Lauren pointed out, putting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah! Now hurry up and get dressed!" Winnie ordered as she grabbed Lauren's arm. The two teleported back to their room as the cadets slowly began to get dressed.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Truth or Dare?**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC

* * *

It was nearing nightfall and the group was exhausted. They had already traveled through Shelburne Farms, Vermont, Fox Theatre, Missouri, Spring Grove Cemetery, Ohio, and Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky. There final stop of the day was West Baden Springs Hotel, Indiana. No one really knew how they were supposed to spend the time they had before they reached the nearest location so they decided to play truth or dare.

Baxter went first. "Grunt, truth or dare?" he asked of his fellow cadet.

"Dare." Grunt answered, ready for anything that Baxter would throw at him.

"I dare you to admit that Lauren and Sibella are better ping pong players than you and Roger."

Correction, Grunt was ready for anything except that.

Grunt clenched his fists as he shouted "But that was forever ago! Why'd ya have to bring it up again?"

"You have to do it." Baxter told him with a smirk on his lips.

Grunt cleared his throat in defeat, and said "All right. Sibella, Lauren, you two are better than both myself and Roger at ping pong. What a vigorous accomplishment." If Grunt was trying to get a rise out of them, he failed miserably.

Lauren simply replied "I'll add ping pong to the list of sports I've kicked your butt at. What does that make it now, five? Let's see, there's volleyball, tennis, soccer, dodge ball, and now ping pong. Yep, that's definitely five. And how many have you beaten us at? Oh, that's right. Zero."

The atmosphere was tense for a brief moment before Tug shouted from the driver's seat "Okay, Grunt, it's your turn."

Grunt turned toward Tug and asked "Tug, truth or dare?"

Tug took a long while to ponder this before he decided that a dare wouldn't be so bad so he replied "Dare."

Grunt got an evil look on his face as he said "I dare you to not give Lauren a kiss, or receive any kisses from Lauren, for the next ten minutes."

Tug looked shocked, surprised, and angered. He glared at Grunt from the rear view mirror before turning to Lauren and asked "Truth or dare?"

She looked just as upset as Tug when she answered with "Dare."

Tug smiled slightly as he said "I dare you to punch Grunt in the face." A smile formed on Lauren's face as she slowly turned her head to face Grunt. Grunt looked sick. "And you can't heal it afterwards." Tug added. Grunt looked sicker.

"Sorry Grunt, but you really must learn to chose your dares more carefully." Lauren told him, standing up and making her way over to him. Grunt nervously stood up as Lauren formed a fist. When Grunt was standing straight up Lauren told him "No flinching now." and her arm snapped forward like a striking snake. Her hand connected with Grunt's jaw, making his head snap forward. He grabbed his jaw in pain. Lauren walked over to Tug, leaned back and laid her head on Tug's shoulder as she spoke. "Sibella?"

Sibella groaned for she was hoping to not have been asked that.

"Two questions. One, how much longer?"

"Five minutes."

"Number two, truth or dare?"

"Dare." she said, hoping it wouldn't be that bad.

Lauren was glad Sibella had said dare rather than truth because Lauren wanted to get revenge on Grunt. "Would it be asking too much of you to drain Grunt of all his blood?"

Sibella groaned again and turned to Grunt, saying "Look what you caused." Sibella turned back to Lauren and said "Sorry, but I can't kill him. Even I have standards."

Lauren thought about that before suggesting "What about just draining him of whatever amount is nonfatal?"

Sibella laughed as she shook her head before saying "Again, standards. I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Ugh, fine then. I have no other dare for you so just pick someone else." Lauren replied, disappointed.

Sibella looked at every face, wondering who she would ask 'Truth or dare?' of. It certainly wasn't going to be Grunt, Tug, or Lauren, that was for sure. Sibella decided to ask Tanis since she hadn't been asked it yet and she didn't have a murderous glint in her eyes. "Tanis, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

Sibella decided to ask a harmless enough question. Searching for inspiration, she looked at Roger's comic book. She recognized most of the superheroes from the movies Lauren had showed them so she asked "Tanis, which superhero is best?"

Tanis thought about that for a moment before she answered "That's an easy question. Lauren is the best superhero."

At that, Lauren blushed. "Tanis, you flatter me."

Sibella smiled slightly before amending "As true as that may be, Tanis, I was referring to the fictional ones from comic books."

Tanis pondered the question for nearly five minutes before replying "Wonder Woman, obviously."

What was meant to be a simple question evoked immediate outrage from the cadets.

"You've gotta be kidding me! Obviously Superman is the greatest hero of all time! He's invincible!" Jamal argued.

"Unless you've got a hunk of Kryptonite, which Batman always does. That makes him the best superhero!" Miguel pointed out.

"But Batman is only a mortal! He doesn't have actual powers. He's just some guy in a bat costume. If anyone, the Hulk is the most powerful!" Grunt asserted, flexing his biceps.

"The Hulk may be powerful, but he also has some serious anger management issues he needs to work out. If anything, Captain Marvel is the most powerful! I mean, he has the strength of Hercules! That's seriously strong, even when compared to the Hulk. Not to mention, he's also actually a little kid." Baxter exclaimed.

"Squirt, you don't know what you're talking about. Clearly Captain Atom is the best. He's basically a combination of Superman and the Silver Surfer, essentially making him more powerful than both of them. So even if he is a knock off 'Man of Steel', he's still more powerful than Superman. And anyone more powerful than him is obviously the best superhero." Roger ended his argument with a smirk and crossed his arms, daring anyone to say otherwise.

"That's where you're wrong, Roger. Martian Manhunter is the superior superhero. He can fly, shape shift, turn intangible, and read and infiltrate anyone's mind. And if he's intangible, no one can lay a blow on him, making it an easy victory for him. So clearly, he's the superior superhero." Tug said, not looking away from the road.

"Oh, please," Lauren began, not looking up from the atlas she was flipping through. "You're all wrong. If anything, Thor is the most powerful hero. He is a god, for one thing, meaning he's already superior to the ones you lot listed. He's as invincible as Superman, yet unlike the big guy he has no weaknesses. Thor was trained in the ways of war and combat since birth, meaning he is an incredibly gifted fighter. Not to mention his hammer has complete control over space and time, as well as thunder. Combine all of this and no other superhero has a prayer of defeating him. Therefore, Thor is the ultimate hero."

The cadets all looked at Lauren, their eyes wide in confusion. Tug looked at her like he was in love. "You read comic books?" Jamal asked.

"Sometimes. I usually don't read books that have pictures in them, but there's a certain appeal to comics." Lauren admitted.

"It's hot." Tug told her, still in a daze.

"You think so? I wish I'd told you that earlier." Lauren replied, finally looking up from the atlas and pecking him on the cheek.

"I love you, Lauren, but it's probably a good idea if you stop doing that. After all, it's a bad idea to drive while distracted." Tug reluctantly told her.

"I suppose you're right. I mean, I could walk away from any accident unscathed. However, you cadets might not be so lucky." Tug gave her a look before going back to focusing on the road. When he had done so, Lauren turned to Tanis and said "Tanis, darling, it's your turn."

Tanis looked flabbergasted at the fact that the game was still going on. She turned to Roger and asked "Truth or dare?"

Roger stared at her before cracking a grin and answering "Dare." After all, what could sweet, little Tanis possibly dare someone that would qualify as humiliating or dangerous?

"I dare you to prank call the Colonel."

Roger's grin slowly melted off of his face as he dubiously looked at her. "You're joking."

"No I'm not. Consider it payback for the ping pong match." Tanis replied.

"That was, like, forever ago!" Roger cried, shying away from Tanis. Suddenly he got an idea. "Okay, then, who wants to let me borrow their phone, then? Just know the Colonel will then have your number."

This was met with silence. He did have a good point. No one volunteered their phone and several people exchanged nervous glances. "Oh, look," Tug interrupted the stunned silence. "A rest stop. And you know what rest stops have? Pay phones."

"Oh, I have plenty of quarters!" Lauren exclaimed, eagerly volunteering her money.

Tug laughed heartily as he pulled into the rest stop.

"Out you go, Roger." Tanis said, shoving him out of the bus with her bandages.

Lauren shoved two quarters into the machine before allowing Tug to dial the number to the Colonel Calloway's office.

Once the phone began ringing, Tug handed it to Roger. Roger frantically ran his fingers through his hair, thinking of something to say.

Suddenly the Colonel picked up. "Hello, this is Colonel Calloway speaking. With whom am I speaking?"

Roger looked frantic but upon receiving no help he was on his own. Suddenly, in the deepest voice he could manage, he asked "Is this the Krusty Krab?" There was silence on the other line as everyone suppressed their laughter.

"I'm sorry, you must have the wrong number" the Colonel replied in an annoyed tone, moving to hang up.

"No, this is Patrick!" Roger shouted before slamming the phone back on the hook. He was panting as though he'd just run a marathon, his body full of adrenaline. When he saw everyone laughing, he straightened up and scowled. "Thanks a lot you guys, I really appreciate it. Can I dare all of you to jump off a bridge?"

"Chill out, man. We're laughing because your prank call was hilarious!" Tug reassured him, clapping him on the back.

"And besides, you can't dare us to do anything. We're almost at our destination. See that sign? It says the hotel is just off the next exit." Sibella pointed out with a smirk.

"That's so not fair!" Roger cried in indignant rage.

"Sorry, ese. I guess that's just life." Miguel told him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, whatever, let's just get going." Roger mumbled before clambering back into the bus, trailed by the sound of hysteric laughter.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: An Uplifting Experience**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

By late afternoon, they had successfully traveled from the hotel and Abraham Lincoln's home in Illinois to the Gateway Arch in Mississippi.

As they approached the landmark, Tug nudged Lauren in the ribs and asked "Do you think we'll run into any Chimera?"

Lauren smiled approvingly at him as she replied "You actually read the books I lent you."

"Of course I did. If you enjoyed reading them, I felt I would, too." Tug replied airily.

"You're sweet. Well, if we do happen to run into any Chimera, I feel more than properly equipped to handle them, Seaweed Brain."

"Whatever you say, Wise Girl."

"Okay, I seriously want to kiss you right now." Lauren said, slowly wrapping her arms around him.

Tug replied by maneuvering his hands into the bends of her hips, holding her against him before placing his lips upon Lauren's. They broke apart just as the bus arrived in the nearest parking lot. And everyone filed out. After taking a few pictures and group selfies of and with the arch, they made their way to the underground gift shop.

Roger tugged nervously at his collar and said "Um, do we have to go underground? And go there via an elevator?"

"Of course, silly. How else are we supposed to get down there?" Tanis asked innocently.

"You're not scared, are you?" Winnie asked with a smirk.

"Of course he's not! A Calloway cadet is never scared, right, Roger?" Grunt asked, punching him on the arm.

"Right…" Roger replied, rubbing his arm and wincing.

"Sure you're not." Sibella replied, a small smirk forming on her lips.

"C'mon, guys, leave him alone." Baxter said, running to Roger's defense. "It'll be a very uplifting experience for us all."

Cackling at his pun, Phantasma added "Yeah, it'll lift our spirits."

"I hate all of you." Roger grumbled as Jamal and Miguel led him towards the gift shop, both of whom were laughing hysterically. After being shoved into the elevator, Roger wrapped his arms around himself and began muttering under his breath.

"Dude, are you okay?" Jamal asked, looking genuinely concerned for his friend.

"I'm fine!" Roger snapped.

"We're not gonna die, if that's what you're so worried about." Grunt told him confidently.

"You should listen to him, Roger. We're not dying in here, that's for sure. But when I do die I want that cool thing done where they take your ashes and pressurize them enough to turn them into a precious gem. I then want that gem forged into a sword's hilt so my heir can avenge me because I'm not dying unless I'm killed I can assure you." Tug said with a grin.

"Forget your heir. If someone murders you they'll soon be joining you in the afterlife by my hand, I can assure you." Lauren replied, matching his grin just as the elevator stopped.

Roger pushed his way to the front, fighting to get out. Miguel placed a hand on his shoulder and said "You do know we have to go into the elevator to get back up, right, ese?"

Roger ducked away from Miguel's touch and stalked off. "You can't escape!" Jamal shouted, tears of laughter streaming from his face. Everyone else joined in on the laughter before splitting apart and browsing the shop. The browsing was short lived as they regrouped.

Once in the elevator, Lauren said "Don't press the button. Everyone grasp hands and I'll teleport us into the bus rather than be in here a second longer."

Roger smiled at her gratefully before grabbing her and Sibella's hands. In the next second they were on the bus, heading off towards C. W. Parker Carousel Museum in Kansas.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Kiss in the Rain**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

After Kansas, the group traveled to Terrace Hill Governor's Mansion is Iowa and the Taliesin in Wisconsin. They were currently in the parking lot to the Mall of America in Minnesota.

Going their separate ways, the first thing Lauren did was locate the nearest Starbucks. There was no line so Lauren walked up to the cashier and ordered a frappe. When she was asked for her name, she thought about what to put before saying "Prisoner 24601." before walking over to the counter where her finished coffee would be placed. When her order was called out, she jumped up in the air and yelled "My name is Jean Valjean!"

The barista laughed before she replied "And I am Javert!"

After their laughter died down, Lauren took her coffee, grabbed a small wad of cash, and slipped it into the tip jar, feeling incredibly satisfied with how her order had gone down.

As she finished off the coffee she went to throw it away when a lady cut her off. Cut off guard, Lauren tripped, falling to the ground. Instead of doing anything to help, a woman stared at her very judgmentally. She just kept staring and staring so Lauren looked up at her and said "Sorry. It's been awhile since I've possessed a body."

The woman looked horrified as she ran away screaming. Lauren smirked before groaning as she pushed herself off the ground. The lady was out of sight by the time she threw her cup away. Deciding she'd had enough of the mall, Lauren straightened herself up, dusted her clothes off, and began to look for her friends.

* * *

After leaving the Mall of America, the group went to Ashfall Fossil Bed, Nebraska, Mount Rushmore, South Dakota, Fort Union Trading Post, North Dakota, and Glacier National Park, Montana before making their way towards Hanford Site, Washington. This was going to be their quickest trip given they only planned on driving by the enclosed area. However, fate had other plans. They were driving right by the site when the bus jerked and skidded to a halt.

"What was that?" Baxter inquired, picking himself up from the floor.

"Ugh, it's probably a flat tire." Roger informed him, shaking his head to clear it.

"I'll go change it." Tug volunteered, walking towards the door.

"I'll help you." Lauren said as she tailed him outside.

Walking around the bus, it wasn't hard to find the flattened tire. It had a massive nail poking out of it.

"You work on removing the tire while I get the spare." Lauren said as Tug began pumping up the jack. Tug nodded as Lauren disappeared on the other side of the van.

After successfully finding the tire, Lauren manipulated the air to surround it and hoist it out of its confined compartment. Manipulating her hands in slow circles, she caused the tire to spin through the air before allowing it to roll towards Tug before falling onto the ground with a dull thud. By this point Tug had finished removing the ruined tire so Lauren manipulated it into the spot where the spare had come from. Once that was completed, she dusted her hands off onto her jeans before going over to Tug and helping him finish bolting down the new tire.

"Hopefully nothing bad will happen to the others. We have replacements for them, but the Colonel will still find a way to be upset if we come back with zero spares." Tug thought aloud, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Lauren wrapped her arms around him in an attempt to comfort him. "That won't be necessary. If worse comes to worse, I'll just buy you a new set of tires. The Colonel wouldn't complain if you showed up with more tires than you started with, would he?"

A coy smile formed on Tug's lips as he replied "No, he wouldn't. Now hold that thought." Tug disappeared into the bus for a moment.

Lauren decided to wait for him to arrive so she leaned against the side and crossed her arms, taking in the scenery.

It wasn't long before Tug reemerged, looking very smug. As he approached, he wrapped his hands around her waist and asked "You know how you've been wanting a kiss in the rain for a while? Well, Washington is one of the rainiest states in all of the U.S. so I think today is your lucky day."

Suddenly they were being loosely sprayed from water coming from somewhere above. Tug pulled Lauren in for a kiss as the water continued to rain down on them. Pulling apart, Lauren asked him "Tug, where is this water coming from?"

The water came to a sudden stop and the rest of the cadets, as well as the ghouls, stuck their heads over the edge of the bus. "Hey, Lauren!" Baxter called with a wave.

"Aw, you guys!" Lauren was beaming. "But you didn't have to go to all of this trouble. I could have simply done this." Lauren said before looking up at the sky and clenching her fist. The clouds suddenly began to leak and water spilled from them. It began drizzling onto them. "Now this is a kiss in the rain." Lauren said before pressing her lips back onto Tug's.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: The Dam Snackbar**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

After fixing the tire and leaving Washington, the group drove across the Columbia River Highway in Oregon, road a cable car in San Francisco, visited the San Andreas Fault in California, and prepared to visit the Hoover Dam in Nevada.

As they exited the bus, Grunt's stomach rumbled. "Guys, we need to find the dam snack bar, stat. We should eat before we do anything else."

"The dam snack bar?" Tug asked, snorting into his fist.

"Yeah. What's so funny?" Grunt asked, his brow furrowing in confusion.

"Nothing, nothing. I could use some dam french fries." Lauren told him, waving her hand dismissively and trying to contain her laughter.

"And I need to use the dam restroom." Sibella added, snickering.

Grunt's eyebrow furrowed even further. "I don't understand. What's so funny?"

"I want to use the dam water fountain." Elsa cried, bending over with laughter.

"And I want to buy a dam t-shirt!" Jamal snorted with glee.

Grunt's confusion melted into anger as they continued to make fun of him. "Forget you guys, I'm going to look for the snack bar without you." He started to march away but stopped and stomped over to where Tug stood. Grunt snatched the cash the Colonel had given them out of his hands and continued to march away, looking for the snack bar.

"Should we stop him before he blows all our cash?" Lauren asked, wiping away her tears of laughter.

"That'd probably be for the best." Tug admitted with a nod.

Slowly, the group settled down and began searching for Grunt, hoping he'd save some money and food for the rest of them.

Their trip to the Hoover Dam ended shortly after due to Grunt's tantrum at being made fun of. Luckily he had been stopped before he could blow all of their cash and eat himself sick as revenge for his less than desirable treatment.

"Oh, grow up, would ya?" Jamal asked with a cheesy grin.

Grunt scowled at him before replying "I need to grow up? That's rich coming from you."

Roger snorted. "What would you know about rich? You were gonna blow all our money on snacks!"

"Yeah? Well let me tell you somethi-" Grunt began but was quickly cut off by Lauren.

"Guys, now is not the time to argue. We have a long drive ahead of us so some peace and quiet would be much appreciated." That shut them up quick enough.

The trip from the dam to the Grand Canyon was actually short lived. They arrived by night fall but the dessert was just as beautiful at night as it was during the day. It was so beautiful in fact that the group decided to sleep under the stars. After setting up camp, they split off into smaller groups to explore the area.

Lauren and Tug parted from everyone else and set up an area to privately star gaze. Once they'd found the perfect spot, Lauren and Tug dumped the pillows and blankets out of their arms. Then Lauren and Tug began unfolding the blankets and laid them on top of each other before throwing the pillows on top. Sitting on the blankets, Tug opened a package of little weenies as Lauren formed a fireball and made it hover above the blankets. Once the package of weenies was opened, they skewered the meat on camping forks and held them over the fire. As they ate, the sun fully set and the stars shone like glistening diamonds in the heavens above. Once the weenies were gone, they moved on to marshmallows. After a while the food was gone so Tug set aside their forks as Lauren waved her hand, causing the fireball to disappear. They laid back on the fluffy blankets and pillows, wrapped their arms around each other, and admired the beautiful night sky.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: A Welcome Wake Up Call**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

As the sun crept past the mountainous peaks and lit up the surrounding peaks, Lauren's eyelids fluttered open. To her surprise, she and Tug had fallen asleep together during their stargazing session. Smiling to herself, she kissed the top of his head before moving to get dressed.

However, she was stopped by Tug who tightened his grip around her waist. "Good morning, beautiful." he whispered, breaking the silence.

"It is now that you're awake." Lauren replied, weaving her fingers through his straggly hair.

"You've got that right." Tug mumbled against Lauren's lips, gently kissing her.

"Are you always this cocky in the morning?" Lauren inquired, pulling back to allow Tug to breath.

"What can I say? You bring out the best in me." Tug replied with a small smirk.

"The best in you, huh? Let's see that in action." Lauren challenged, her lips hovering just above Tug's.

"Yes ma'am." Tug responded with an eager shrug, pressing his lips hungrily against hers. It wasn't long, however, before the two pulled apart again as Tug was left gasping for breath. "You know, it hurts a little, me in dire need of breath yet you're just laying there as if nothing is wrong."

Lauren smiled apologetically. "I can't help that I don't need to breath. It's not like I'm trying to hurt your feelings."

"Maybe I'm not trying hard enough?" Tug mused, going in for another kiss.

Upon pulling apart again, Lauren trilled lightly. "It's not a matter of effort. It's a matter of the fact that I don't need oxygen under any circumstances. I might as well be a lung donor."

"Hmm…," Tug began, trailing off thoughtfully. "Well, I'll keep trying."

Lauren shook her head, knowing it would do her no good to argue. Instead, she suggested "How about we get up and make our way towards the others. I imagine we have a long explanation ahead of us as to why we never joined them last night."

At that, it was Tug's turn to laugh. "I'm sure you're right. This'll be hilarious to see."

With that, the two of them cleaned up their spot and made their way back to camp, cringing at the sight of the worried ghouls and smirking cadets.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Whipped**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

After leaving the Grand Canyon, the group traveled through Bryce Canyon National Park, in Utah, Craters of the Moon in Idaho, and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. Their next destination was Pikes Peak, Colorado. As they drove, Lauren pulled on an old Caswell sweater that depicted a Bible verse on the back and 'God First' on the front.

As she fixed her hair, Lauren said "There are so many advantages to wearing oversized sweaters. They are instantly a cute outfit with minimal effort. It enhances the coziness when you drink hot beverages, especially out of mugs. You get sweater paws which are guaranteed to make you feel way more adorable. And you can unbutton your jeans and no one will notice."

"True. However there's the fact that guys think they're totally not cute." Grunt absentmindedly pointed out.

"Okay, a, you're wrong. Guys love oversized sweaters. Right, Tug?" Lauren asked with a pointed look at her boyfriend.

"Right. Of course. You're absolutely right." Tug quickly replied in immediate agreement.

Lauren smiled affectionately at him before continuing. "And b, the day I dress for a man is the day they dress me in my coffin to see Jesus."

Tanis tilted her head to the side as she pointed out "But Lauren, you're immortal. You can't die."

Smiling satisfactorily, Lauren replied "Exactly."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: European Imperialists Who Didn't Bother to Check the Country's Language for Two Hundred, Alex**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

After leaving Pikes Peak, they drove through the Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, the Alamo in Texas, and the Platt Historic District in Oklahoma. They were currently driving to the Toltec Mounds in Arizona and were incredibly bored.

Miguel drummed his fingers against the steering wheel before straightening up and saying "If you think about, the names America has for places aren't clever at all. I mean, look at the Sahara Desert. Sahara is just the word for 'deserts' in Arabic. So essentially the Sahara Desert is actually the Desert Desert."

The others all perked up in interest, craving some form of conversation. "Or chai tea. It's actually tea tea." Elsa pointed out.

By this point, everyone was eager to get in on the conversation. "Soviet means union. The union union." Winnie replied as some began to crack up.

Sibella's fangs were exposed she was laughing so hard. "Naan bread translates to bread bread."

"Sharia law is actually law law. No wonder they hate our country." Baxter added, cracking up.

"Yeah basically. Or Lake Tahoe is really lake lake." Jamal said, continuing the laughter.

Cackling, Phanty added "Pendle hill is hill hill hill."

"Three hills? Seriously? And el camino way is just the way way." Miguel said, enlightening them with his amazing Spanish.

Dying from lack of breath, Roger put in "The Mississippi river is the big river river."

Joining the conversation at last, Grunt added "The Los Angeles Angels are the the angels angels."

"Hula dance is dance dance." informed Tanis, all the while completing a miniature hula from her seat.

"DC comics is detective comics comics." Tug pointed out.

Lauren gasped. "What? DC stands for detective comics? Then why do they have the extra comics at the end? My inner OCD is starting to show."

"This should be a jeopardy category. I'll take 'European Imperialists who didn't bother to check the country's language for two hundred, Alex.'" Miguel joked.

"Haha yes! Man this is fun. Thanks, Miguel." Winnie howled appreciatively.

"De nada, Winnie," Miguel replied, smiling back at her from the driver's seat.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Our Future**

Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC.

* * *

After leaving Arizona, the group drove to Elvis Presley's Graceland in Tennessee and the Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi. Thus they had successfully completed their month long road trip. Tug was at the wheel, Lauren in shotgun acting as navigator.

"So," she began, "Are you ready to be back under the Colonel's ever so watchful eye?"

With a heavy sigh, Tug replied "Not remotely. I'll miss the freedom to wake up whenever I want, sleep for as long as I want, eat whatever and whenever I want, and see you for as long as I want." He perked up. "But hey, there will definitely be more excursions like this in the future so it's not that big a deal."

Lauren reached out and intertwined her fingers with Tug's. Instead of pulling his arm back to keep driving with both hands, he simply readjusted his grip on the steering wheel as to better drive with one hand, and gently squeezed Lauren's hand in his own. "Even if there weren't, that wouldn't stop me from seeing you. I could practically live in your room and have the Colonel never know I was there." Lauren replied confidently.

"I certainly won't stop you if you did." Tug replied, looking at her warmly.

"I just wish we could make this trip last forever. It's just… so perfect. My friends are here, I'm with my boyfriend, and there's no Colonel around to order you lot around. There's no rules, no limits, no nothing. Just the open road to take us wherever we want to go. I'm going to miss this; miss us." Lauren sighed before sparing Tug a glance. "I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"No, no. You're right, this is perfect. But don't worry. I see a lot of this happening in the future; our future. And trust me, this won't be anywhere near as perfect in comparison." Tug promised, assuaging her fear.

Lauren's face lit up with excitement. "I'd like that. I'd like that very much."

The two smiled at each other before Tug's focus went back towards the road and Lauren's went back to the atlas, their hands refusing to separate. Knowing the future was bright and full of opportunity, they shed their worry of being apart and instead focused on sharing this moment together as the bus winded down the road, driving off into the Louisiana marsh.

* * *

 **The End! I hope everyone enjoyed reading this story as much as I loved writing it!**


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